This page aims to help you remove the Privacy-keep.com “Virus” Popup These Privacy-keep.com “Virus” removal instructions work for Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer, as well as every version of Windows.

If you have encountered the effects of Privacy-keep.com, then you are probably already aware of the fact that this is a type of adware. For those who are unfamiliar with the term, it is derived from the words “advertisement” and “software” and what it does is just that: distribute ads. Many, many ads, in various shapes and sizes. You will typically be seeing a lot of banners and pop-ups, which were normally never there. Perhaps you’re even experiencing some page re-directs, which can be extremely annoying – we know. In some cases you could even be noticing that some random parts of text in an article or post are converted to hyperlinks. Yes, these are the symptoms of being infected by adware. Keep in mind, though, this is NOT a virus and shouldn’t be confused with malware.Malware is a coined term for something harmful, like ransomware, as an example. However, this doesn’t mean it cannot potentially become an issue. Read on and we will give you a better insight as to how exactly Privacy-keep.com operates, what risks may come with it and how to protect your computer from it in the future.

What is the purpose of Privacy-keep.com?

As any adware does, Privacy-keep.com aims to get you to click on as many of its nigh intrusive ads as possible. This is the way the developers make their money and it’s based on the Pay-per-click scheme. So, basically, they make a profit every time you merely click their ads. You don’t have to buy anything or register anywhere. Just. Click. Therefore the ads can be as misleading as you would expect them to be, since all that matters is that very first impression you get by the semi-attractive slogan or half-appealing offer that may be displayed on a given banner or in a pop-up window. Here’s where all this innocent trickery can go very wrong, though:

It is very possible to land on some malicious website that can be teeming with viruses of all sorts, just waiting to get into your system. There have been no reports of ransomware infections yet, but there are plenty of other nasty things out there. In addition to this, adware developers are known to collect and store your browsing related information. This includes search queries, general browsing history, bookmarks and favorited pages, together with personal details. Obviously, these are all necessary in order to produce content to match your interests and therefore be more likely to spark your curiosity and get you to click on the ads. The personal details, however, could very possibly be sold on to third parties and the dangers of that should be easy to extrapolate. Aside from that, your computer might also begin to run pretty slow. If you haven’t already, you might also begin to experience browser crashes and other such small inconveniences, which could be ultimately all caused by the presence of Privacy-keep.com on your PC. For this reason we highly recommend you do not delay and remove the program as soon as possible, for the longer it stays – the bigger the probability of your getting into trouble.

How did I get infected by Privacy-keep.com and how do I avoid getting infected in the future?

In most cases infection with adware happens through a widespread technique known as program bundling. The idea of it is to package one program (typically an undesired one) together with another one (which a user would normally want). When you download the wanted program and proceed to install it, you may overlook the additional ‘features’ and go ahead and install them as well. To avoid this you should always opt for the custom or advanced setup, which will be offered to you before you begin the installation process of the given program. That way you will see the added software and will have the ability to choose whether or not you allow it to be installed, too.

That being said, we should also mention that you should pay attention to the source from which you download anything at all. If it’s some generally untrustworthy and murky website, it’s best to avoid visiting it altogether, let alone downloading content from it. Other simple safety measures include having a functioning, well-established antivirus program running on your computer at all times. This will prevent most unwanted visitors from entering your system and a browser extension of the antivirus will contribute to a safer browsing experience. We also recommend you run virus scan on a regular basis, so as to make sure nothing sneaks in onto your PC.

SUMMARY:

Name

Privacy-keep.com

Type

Browser Hijacker

Danger Level

Medium (Can collect your personal data and sell it to third parties; may also serve as a gateway for potentially harmful programs.)

Symptoms

Numerous ads in the form of pop-ups, banners and page redirects will disrupt your normal browsing. Your computer might be running slower than usual.

Right click on each of the problematic processes separately and select Open File Location. End the process after you open the folder, then delete the directories you were sent to.

Type Regedit in the windows search field and press Enter.

Inside, press CTRL and F together and type the threat’s Name. Right click and delete any entries you find with a similar name. If they don’t show this way, go manually to these directories and delete/uninstall them:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—–Random Directory. It could be any one of them – ask us if you can’t discern which ones are malicious. HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—Microsoft—-Windows—CurrentVersion—Run– Random HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—Microsoft—Internet Explorer—-Main—- Random